Twisted Tides (Forged Hearts #2)

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

JAMESON

“Nitro (Youth Energy)” by The Offspring

“ W hen did you get this?” I hand the keys over to Eduardo.

“Evie stopped by the office the other day, and she gave me a ride over to pick it up. Dax didn’t ask any questions, but Liv told him we needed the condo in Padre Island to hide if things went bad. I think this is truly the definition of 'if things went bad. Don’t you?”

He nods in agreement, biting his lip in concentration. “Yeah, I think it is.”

I planned this thinking that it would just be a precautionary measure, that we wouldn’t need it. I mean, I hoped we didn’t need the keys, but I am glad I had the foresight to get them. Otherwise, it would be hard to know if we are being watched and then needed the keys before Emma and Evie are forced to leave with Mateo. Because they are going to have to leave with him. I am still unsure about Evie and Emma having to go, but we will get a better idea when we hear it directly from the source. When we have an idea of what he really wants with our family.

Dylan, true to his word, called Mr. Martinez as soon as we left, and now Mateo and Ramón are headed to his place to meet the monster we call Mr. Martinez. Hearing that Mr. Martinez threatened Dylan and his baby solidified the notion for me that he would stop at nothing to get what he wants. I don’t think it is really about family but about him getting what he wants from the wealth and power his alliance and connections with a mafia family would provide.

Mateo has a burner phone hidden. He thought it would be a good idea to have a separate phone that isn’t tracked, just in case his phone is looked at by his father or any of the security details that his father has back at his house. Being a politician allows him to have security for his home, but more people realize that it is more to his connection in an illegal trade that requires this level of protection and secrecy.

I recently placed cameras, which allow us to at least listen in on the conversation. We will have a heads-up to see what is coming our way. Will they make them leave right away? Ramón mentioned that he wanted Evie and Emma to go with Mateo, but I can’t imagine why. Will he keep them as collateral to keep Mateo in line, or will it be for some other advantage?

We’ve had preemptive talks with Mateo and Ramón, so they know to keep the conversation flowing around the island or near the kitchen so that we can hear what they say more clearly. Now it’s time to see how well Mateo has perfected his acting career.

We speed to Eduardo’s office and huddle around his desk, watching the screen. We text Mateo when we get here so that we don’t miss a thing. He and Ramón plan to finish up their chess game, allowing us time to make it back to Houston. The drive back is quiet. Each of us is in our heads and not speaking about the what-ifs.

Eduardo calls his brother on the way, putting it on speaker, and I watch my friend closely. “Hello? Ram?” There is a moment of silence on the line as the international call connects.

“Hey, little brother. To what do I?—”

“Ram, I need you,” Eduardo cuts him off, “ and I need you to call Father and let him know that things have turned for the worse over here in Houston.”

Without hesitation, Ramiro asks, “What do you need? I can be there soon to take over the business if you need to go.”

Eduardo looks over to Emma and tells his brother everything without another thought.

“I’ll be there and have Dad call you. Do not worry about anything over here. Just go to keep Emma safe and do what you have to do. They are messing with the wrong people. Dad will call Emma’s uncle and join forces to do whatever needs to be done. She is your fiancée, and no harm will come to her if we have a say in it.”

Eduardo grabs Emma’s hand and kisses it. “Okay, Ram. Thank you, and hurry, brother. See you soon.”

“See you soon,” is echoed on the other line before it dies.

Now we wait to see what they say at Ramón’s.

They leisurely head to Ramón’s place to put the plan into action as if there are no pressing issues, such as a psychopath waiting to take them away at any given moment.

We hear the door open, and Ramón walks through, followed by Mateo on his heels. They are around the kitchen island talking about predictions for when they will have to leave for Brownsville.

“I should grab my bag from my room just in case we have to leave soon.” A look of confusion passes on Mateo’s face as he disappears down the hall, but then his head jerks toward the door opening a moment later.

And then we all actually see him—Mr. Martinez.

He approaches Mateo slowly, like a predator circling his prey, except Mateo is no one’s prey. His eyes narrow, calculating and assessing his biological father as he steps closer and is now standing before Mateo.

It is hard to dismiss his similarities to this horrible man. They are of similar size and stature: brown skin, brown eyes, and a full head of hair. Mateo’s hair is dark brown, and Mr. Martinez’s is streaked with gray, but it doesn’t take away from his striking features. He could easily pass for his son, but whereas Julian had more of his mother’s facial features, Mateo has strong lines and a square jaw.

Mr. Martinez studies Mateo, sizing him up. Mateo assesses him in return. When their staredown is interpreted by Ramón coming back from the room with his bag, he sets it by the sofa, and Mr. Martinez raises one eyebrow in question.

“Going somewhere, Father?”

Ramón simply shrugs. “I’m not sure, son. Are we going somewhere?”

Mr. Martinez raises his hand. “Not until I have had the opportunity to talk to Mateo. Have you told my son anything yet?”

We see through the camera’s eye Mateo stiffen at the use of the word ‘son,’ but Mr. Martinez doesn’t seem to notice. Ramón shakes his head, saying no.

“I told him you wanted to talk with him and that he would learn of everything soon.”

This seems to please him, and he turns his focus to Mateo. “Well, this has been a long time coming. Your mother kept you from me, and now that my son, Julian, is gone…” he trails off, looking at Mateo. If he is looking for any admission, he won’t find it on our brother’s stoic face. “You are my only remaining son, my only heir.” He reaches to place his arm on Mateo’s shoulder. “My firstborn.”

“You mean I am the only heir, and my mother’s family is also part of the Ortiz mafia that suits your financial endeavors, am I right?”

His smile widens. “Yes, well, that, too,” he admits, running his finger over his bottom lip. “I believe we can do great things together, son.”

“Did you kill my mother?”

His hand falls off Mateo’s shoulder. Mr. Martinez’s eyes narrow, and he visibly shakes.

“That lying cunt stole you from me. She left and married that pathetic and weak excuse of a man who couldn’t offer her anything. We could have had it all, but she chose poorly and suffered the consequences. She left you and me.”

Mateo nods, trying to appease the crazy in this man who claims to be his father.

We move closer to the screen, and I watch Mateo’s features. Emma has her hand over her mouth, waiting to hear what he will say next.

“Yeah, she did leave us both.” His head is bowed down when he says this, and I know that the emotions shown on his face are real. This is his family and he doesn’t hide his feeling from them and only them. He looks like he feels every bit of her leaving him, and he may never get over that fact. For whatever reason, she thought it was in his best interest to do so.

But when he raises his head to meet Mr. Martinez, his following words are spoken as an act, but still gut his family as they fall from his lips. “What do you need me to do, Father?”

Emma chokes on a sob, and Eduardo brings her closer to him as we stare at Mateo on the screen.

Mr. Martinez laughs sinisterly. “I knew you’d come around, son. We are going to leave here and go to our new home. Everything I have will be yours now, and we will grow our business, and then… you will take over. We will force the Ortiz family to play nice and accept our terms. I need the connections to bring my drugs over the border, and they have the connection that I need. I have them here.” He lifts his palm up to Mateo to signify that he has them in the palm of his hand. “You see, it's a mutually beneficial agreement.”

Mateo rubs his chin, pondering the things Mr. Martinez has said. “I don’t know if you are aware of this, but they sent me to boarding school, and I don’t think they will be willing to accept that deal from me. They barely acknowledge me as their own.”

For some reason, I see the shared look on Evie and Emma’s face, it’s obvious that they, too, feel the raw emotion that comes through in his spoken words. Despite the performance he is portraying for Mr. Martinez for our benefit, there is some truth radiating from the harshness of his tone.

Ramón steps closer, and so does Mr. Martinez. He leans forward on the kitchen island.

“Well...” He cocks his head to the side. “They might not be with you, but when we take your sisters with us, then they might have to reconsider.”

Eduardo stiffens, rage building in him. Gus, Eli, and Philip exchange glances with each other, and the room is so quiet you can hear a pin drop.

I hold Evie closer, and she leans into my embrace. We listen and wait for the rest of the story.

“You’ll make them come with us, and then we will marry them off to the highest bidder.”

There is the slightest tic to Mateo’s jaw, indicating that he is much displeased with this direction of conversation, but he doesn’t say as much. We look at the screen, dumbfounded.

Eduardo stands up, and Emma almost falls off his lap. However, his usual firm grip around her waist allows her feet to land on the floor instead. He is shaking with uncontrolled rage.

“Motherfucker! I will fucking kill you! You’re dead!” Eduardo is yelling at the screen with spittle flying like a rabid dog. He’s fuming and shaking with so much unrelenting anger, and Emma hits his arm, trying her best to calm him enough so we can hear the rest of the conversation.

“Highest bidder, huh? I don’t know about that. Father, I don’t want my sisters being offered up like cattle.”

Mr. Martinez shrugs. “Makes no difference to me.” He pretends to pick an imaginary strand of lint from his suit jacket.

Mateo is deep in thought and then snaps his fingers when he is struck with an idea, although I don’t think he had thought about it long.

“I got it,” he says, and Mr. Martinez looks over at him. “What if we have a party announcing their ‘availability’ and then have suitors come and discuss a mutually beneficial agreement.”

He seems to think about this, and then his smile broadens. “You know, son, I think that would be a great idea.”

Mateo nods. “We need strong allies if we are going to make this business venture beneficial with powerful players in place, but also, we want to be able to control the narrative. We should pick the best suitors who would make a more profitable alliance, right?”

Mr. Martinez soaks this up, and at the moment, I am afraid that Mateo may have switched sides. He is so determined to bring us down that I believe him.

He turns toward the camera and winks. Emma reaches over to Evie, and she nods that she saw that, too. Evie sinks into my lap in relief because Mateo’s story was too believable for our liking.

Mr. Martinez must buy the act too because he claps his hands together in an excited fashion. “Okay. When do we leave?”

Mateo makes his way toward the door. “No time like the present.”

Ramón has been watching this entire exchange without interruption, but as Mateo moves to leave and passes him by, he stops him.

“Where are you going?” Ramón looks over to his son sheepishly and then at his bag. “Do you need me to go with you, Mateo?” The look in Ramón’s eyes says that he is afraid to be alone with his son while Mateo is away.

For some reason, I believe that his grandfather cares for him. A person can’t have that level of concern for another without it meaning something. I just hope, for Mateo’s sake, that they have some salvageable relationship after this is over.

Mateo looks over at the camera as if he is speaking to it. “I am going to bring my sister’s back over here so that we can begin a new life.”

With that, he exits Ramón’s place and gets in his car to drive back to Houston, where our whole world is about to get a lot more complicated.

“I’ll be waiting, son.”

Everyone hears as the door shuts as Mateo walks out.